Needle-adjusting means



F. CHENEY.

NEEDLE ADJUSTING MEANS.

' APPLICATION FILED .IULYJI, 1918. 1,390,499.

PatentedSept. 13, 1921.

lube/afar 15%: 012% P AT i Y .FOIREST CHENEY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIG NOR 'I'O CHENEY TALKIN Gr MACHINE COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,

A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

N EEDLE-AJJJ' USTIN G 8 Application filed July 17,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FOREST CHENEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Needle Adjusting Means, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to talking machines and particularly to a novel device for facilitating the adjustable positioning of the needle in the needle holder of the sound box and for permitting the convenient discharge of the used needle from the needle holder.

It is customary to provide several, usually four, different sizes of needles for talking machines in order that the volume of the reproduced sound may be varied. In my copending application Serial No. 752,861, filed March 8, 1913, I have disclosed means for supporting a sound box at one side of the record in a series of positions in which the needle when loosely inserted in the holder will be supported by any one of several rests located at different distances from the sound box support 'so that the needle when secured in its holder will project to a greater or less degree according to the desired volume. of sound.

My present invention resides in an improved needle positioning device by means of which the sound box may be conveniently supported to discharge the used needle into an adjacent receptacle and then moved upon'its support into the proper position to permit the new needle when inserted in its holder to project from the sound box a greater or less .degree according to the sound volume desired.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide simple means to facilitate the insertion of needles in sound boxes in diiferent positions of adjustment relative thereto.

Another object is to provide a one piece adjuster for positioning needles in sound boxes.

A further object is to provide simple and convenient means for adjustably positioning needles in sound boxes whereby different tone graduations with needles of each of various sizes may be afi'ected.

These and other objects will be apparent from the drawings, wherein-- Figure 1 shows an elevation of a sound Specification of Letters Patent, 1 313911111351 Sgpfi 13,

1918. Serial No. 245,277.

also undesirable. In playing some records it is desirable to reproduce soft tones while other records require loud tones to be reproduced. In talking machines of the type wherein a separate needle is used in connection with the sound boxes, the positioning of the needle is one of the most important functions in the proper reproduction of the sounds on the record. It' is the present practice to provide needles of a plurality of grades, the supposition being that the largest needles are used when loud tones are desired and the smallest needles when soft tones are desired and intermediate needles when the tones of intermediate degrees of loudness are to be reproduced." The great difficulty with needles of this sort-is that the positioning of the needles in the needle holder is made by guess and without any knowledge as to their exact position with respect to the sound box. A certain type of sound box is provided with a needle holder having an abutment against which the large Y end of the needle rests when the same is 1nserted in the box, so that the needle is in capable of adjustment to vary the sound volume. p

In the type of machines employing breech loading needle holders it has been almost impossible to insert the needles in such manner as to reproduce the clear-tones desired because no means are provided for controlling the insertion of the needle in the holder. As above stated it is one of the 'obj ects of my invention to overcome these objections by providing a breech loading needle holder and a needle adjuster whereby the same size and grade of needle may be inserted in exactly the same position every time and thus permit exact reproduction of the same record in the same manner and with the same tones I by the grade of needle may be differently adjusted so as to Vary the volume of the reproduced sound.

The form of my invention which I prefer to describe herein includes what I shall term an adjuster, the same comprising a member 5 formed of metal with an upturned lip or shelf 6 and an upstanding portion 7, the portion 7 being preferably vertical with respect to the base portion and the lip 6 inclined with respect to the base and the portion 7. The member 5 is suitably mounted on the top 8 of the cabinet in a position to be readily engaged by the sound box 9 when the same is swung away from the position over the record (not shown). The sound box is mounted on the tone arm 10 in the usual manner. $uitably supported on the sound box 8 is a breech loading needle holder 11 having an aperture therethrough and open at both ends. For securing the needle 12 within said holder 11 a set screw 13 or similar device may be employed.

The top of the upstanding portion 7 18 provided with a series of steps 14, 15,16 and 17, the steps 15 and'16 and 17 be ng arranged opposite the lip 6. Opposite the step 14:, which form is shown as the highest positioned step, the base of the member 5 is cut away. If desirable a receptacle 18 may be provided in the top 8 of the cabinet for the reception of the used needles so that by positioning the sound box on the step 1 1 and loosening the set screw 13, the needle 12 will drop out and into the receptacle 18.

Having discharged the needle, the sound box is moved to engage any one of the steps 15, 16 or 17, the step selected being chosen operator so that when the needle 12 is inserted through the upper end of the breech loading device 11, the lower end of the needle 12 will drop until it rests against the lip 6. For instance, if loud tones are desired to be reproduced the sound box is moved so that it rests on the step 17 and the needle 12, preferably a large one, is inserted in the breech loading device 11. When the needle comes to rest against the lip 6, the set screw 13 is tightened against the needle, and the sound box moved so as to bring the needle in contact with the record when the machine is put into operation in the usual manner for reproduction of the sound on the record. If, however, it is desired to reproduce sott tones, the sound box may be moved to rest on the step 15 and if desired a needle of t 1e same quality could be inserted which, under the circumstances, would project outwardly further than it the sound box were restingon the step 17 In like manner it the box were positioned on the intermediate step 16 the intermediate tone would result by using the same needle as formerly used.

From the above, it is believed that the manner 01'? operation and the reproduction of sound tones will be clear. By using a needle of the same grade on the sound box positioned in any of the various steps variation of the tones may be affected. Therefore, having for instance, four grades of needles and with the adjuster provided with three steps, twelve separate and distinct volumes of sound may be reproduced. It is believed that the above description is sufliciently clear to indicate that the reproduction of any one record as to brilliancy of sound may be made xact every time the record is played by using the same grade of needle and positioning the sound box on the same step whenever such record is played. This arrangement makes possible the production of music and the like as recorded on disk records with a clarity of tone and with an effect that is achieved in no other manner.

I do not wish to limit the invention to the exact form shown and described as I am aware that modifications of such a device ay be made. However, I do intend to include in this invention all such modifications as come within the spirit and scope of the appended claim.

I claim 2- A. needle discharging and positioning device for talking machines comprising a base adapted to be secured adjacent the turntable, a sound box supporting member proj ecting upwardly from said base and having its supporting surface formed in contiguous stepped portions, the horizontal planes of said stepped portions being at successively lower levels, the highest stepped portion being nearest the turn-table, and a needle positioning member projecting at an angle to and in spaced relation with said lower stepped portions.

Signed at Chicago,

Illinois, this 6th day of July, 1918.

FOREST CHENEY. 

